Z.O.O.M. May 2013 - 3cyl

atari4x4 · Posted: Wed May 01, 2013 6:58 am

Congratulations on being selected for Auszookers Zook Owner of the Month!
How does it feel being honoured with the nomination for Z.O.O.M. 2013?

Haha, kind of pleased, I guess.

So tell us about yourself. Who are you, What's the meaning to your username, Where do you
live, and what do you do for a living?

Name's Wayne, I'm an Electrician doing industrial service work. 3cyl, because the Zook, Annette is her name, has 3 cylinders and the user name 2 stroke was taken. On and I live at Ipswich.

How did you get started in Suzuki's & how many have you owned?

When I was a kid 2 neighbours had LJ50v's and I remember riding in them with my friends and hearing them each morning, guess the sound got imprinted into my head or something. I had a nice LJ50 soft top in the '80s, sold that when I went travelling. Was only full sized fourbies then, 2 Landbruisers and a number of Landrovers till the LJ50v. The white LJ50v I saw in a yard when Picking up my youngest son (Littlejeep on here) from primary school about 10 years ago, he pestered me into buying it an I sort of "surprised" the wife with it. Took a year and a bit to get the number plates on that, then a mate who used to run the Mogrover at Tufftruck wanted a toy and bought a paddock basher one and locked it and put on an exo. I learnt a lot about what they can do between that and a LJ80v I picked up cheap and gave to Littlejeep (normal people just attempt the things a 11 year old like him put that thing through) named Leprosy.There'll be pics of these rigs in the first Ripley thread, called "Ripleys" or something, as well as the normal Ripley wheeling one.
Keeping up with these 2 and also meeting up with Tanshi and Highway-star the poor old hardtop eventually got too beat up and I had an old parts LJ80 Stockman tub left over from a parts car I bought that had no floors so I started to build a body from that, and by the time I finished it, the floors had been raised and replaced, the firewall moved back a little, the sills were replaced with RHS and the rear had tubs and a beefy RHS back tail light panel, then the EXO, then to fit the 32" tyres I had to build a new front clip.

How long did it take you to build your zook to what it is today?

The build for this one took about 2 years I guess.

Any changes in store for your Suzuki?

I'm running a Lockright front and welded rear ATM and have 2 china lockers on the shelf that need custom housings made to fit them. I might have inspired both Highway-star and Tanshi on the LJ road but I've learnt a lot from both of them and that's where a lot of my mods have come from.

What has been your best modification?

The EXO allows me to drive it like buggy, though it has number plates, Highway-star once called it a "pseudo buggy", kind of what it is. Oh and also the 6.5s in the Sierra case (inspired by Tanshi).

What has been your worse modification?

Not a fan of the welded rear, it's only there because it began to eat Lockrights after the 6.5s and 32"s went on.

If you could have anybody else's zook, who's would it be and why?

Tanshi's dad has a awesome widetrack Sierra, it runs 33" KM2s, injected 1.3 and auto, has all the shit but still looks tame. Not sure I could see myself in a Sierra though. :lol:

What has been your best 4wding trip?

None in particular stands out but sometimes when you go to a park and you just get everything right, nothing breaks, had a trip to the Springs like that a few times.

If you could go to any place in the world to wheel, where would that be?

Moab, I like rock, and desert.

Who are you closest to in the auszooker's community?

Verm1n and Littlejeep are my sons, also I wheel with Highway-star and Tanshi a lot.

Tell us what the wheeling is like in your area?

Back in the '80s it was as good as anywhere, now there's really only Ripley, still a good place, and LJs are hard to beat there.

What other toys/hobbies do you put a lot of time into?

I also have a Defender 130, which I use for desert trips and the like, it's taking up most of my time lately, prepping it for a trip down the Canning Stock Route and back across the Simpson in September.

What is it about the auszookers that brings you back for more?

There's people here who actually wheel their cars.

So if there is just one bit of advice you would give someone just starting out with Suzuki 4wds what would it be and why?

Drive it a while before you mod it. Thrash a shit one first and learn what you and the zook can do, also learn what hurts.

Main Vehicle Specs

LJ50, bars all over as a form of idiot proofing, 2 sets of tyres, 7.50/16 Insa Traction Tracks, and 235/85 R16 Wrangler Kevlars (from a dump). Proper 2stroke motor, welded rear, lockright front, disc brakes front, LJ80 Stockman housings and random springs and shocks. There's a build thread called "Annette the LJ50" or something and "Riply" as well as the normal "Ripley wheeling" thread.

Now for the million dollar question, who do you select to be the next Z.O.O.M. & why?

JrZook, he's such a perfectionist and knows so much that he baffles me whenever he tries to explain anything. His Sierra is super clean and straight, yet he'll tackle most anything within reason

Z.O.O.M. May 2013 - 3cyl

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